Ribbon take-up attachment for typewriters



United States Patent 3,205,997 RIBBON TAKE-UP ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERSThaddaeus W. Przybylowicz, 5514 Tarnow St., Detroit 10, Mich. FiledSept. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 226,672 1 Claim. (01. 197151) This inventionrelates to ribbon take-up attachments for typewriters and particularlysuch an attachment for typewriters which use a disposable rib-hon.

In certain typewriters of the electric type and particularly the typeknown as Vari-Typer, such as shown in the patent toCoxhead 2,161,856,friction rolls are adapted to engage the disposable ribbon made of paperor plastic and pull the ribbon through the machine intermittently as thekeys are depressed. The ribbon is normally caused to [flow freely out ofthe typewriter. This poses a serious problem because of the possibilityof the used ribbon soiling the work area around the typewriter. Inaddition, this poses the problem of disposing of the used ribbon.

It is an object of this invention to provide a relatively simple,inexpensive ribbon take-up attachment which can be readily mounted onthe exterior housing of such a typewriter to collect the ribbon.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such an attachmentwhich is relatively fool proof in operation and construction.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such an attachmentwhich incorporates a novel spool and arbor construction.

In the drawings FIG. 1 is a fragmentary part sectional plan view of atypewriter embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary part sectional elevational view of thetypewriter embodying the invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged sca-le taken alongthe line 33 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary part sectional elevational view similar to FIG.2 of the prior art construction.

Referring to FIG. 2, the typewriter is of the type 'known as aVari-Typer such as shown in the patent to Coxhead 2,161,856. As shown,the typewriter 10 includes a housing 11 in which friction rolls 1'2, 13are rotatably mounted in gripping relation to the disposable ribbon R topull the ribbon as the rolls are intermittently rotated in response toactuation of the keys 14. In such typewriters, the rotation of thefriction roll 13 is achieved by a shaft '15 journalled in brackets 16 onthe inner surface of the vertical wall of the housing 11. A bevel gear17 is fixed on the lower end of shaft and meshes with a bevel gear 18 ona horizontal shaft 19a. The shaft 19a is threaded into a drive shaft 19bjourna lled in the frame 11a and driven intermittently as the typewriterk-eys 14 are operated to cause the roll 18 to turn and pull the ribbon Rthrough the typewriter over a guide 41. Shaft 19a replaces a shortershaft that is conventionally used to provide a manual rotation offriction roll 13. Referring specifically to FIG. 4, a shorter shaft 19bnormally extends through the wall of the typewriter and has a bevel gear18a thereon meshing with the bevel gear 17 and a knob 50 for manualmanipulation.

-In accordance with the invention, an attachment 20 is provided on theexterior wall of the housing 11 .and comprises a sheet metal bracket 21which is generally L- shaped and includes a vertical leg 22 lyingagainst the outer surface of the wall of the housing 11 and fastenedthereto by a screw 23. An inwardly turned flange 24 on the lower end ofthe leg 22 serves as a positioning means engaging the lower edge of thevertical wall of the housing 11. The bracket 21 also includes .ahorizontal leg 25 which extends outwardly from the housing. A projection26 extends upwardly from the end of leg 25 on the end thereof andvertically extending parallel ears 27, 28 extend outwardly at rightangles to projection 26'.

A stub shaft 29 has one end thereof journalled in car 27. A bevel gear30 is fixed to the shaft 29 and the hub 31 of bevel gear 30 isjournalled in the other ear 28. The shaft 29 extends through the ear 28and an arbor 29a is provided thereon, The arbor 29a is longitudinallysplit as at 29b to receive a tapered thumb screw 32 so that when thethumb screw is threaded inwardly into the arbor, the arbor is expanded.This forms a frictional driving connection to take up spool 33 mountedon arbor 29a. The frictional driving connection is such as to perrnitsome slippage as the ribbon passes over guide 41 and build-s up on thespool 33.

Spool 36 comprises a first section 34 which includes a hub and a radialflange and a second section 35 which comprises a radial flange mountedon the hubs of first section 34. The second section 35 includes radialslots 36 which can be rotated into alignment with radial pins 37 on thehub of first section 34 to permit removal of the section 35 so that thedisposable ribbon can be readily removed from the spool.

As further shown in the drawings, a driving connection is providedbetween the bevel gear 30 and the bevel gear I17 within the housing 111by shaft 19a which is journalled at one end on the flange 26. A portionof shaft 1 9a has a bevel gear 69 on one end thereof meshing with thebevel gear 30. Portion 3 8 extends through an opening 40 in the sidewall of the housing 11.

It can thus be seen that there has been provided a simple, inexpensiveattachment which can be readily attached to the side wall of the housingof the typewriter for taking up disposable ribbon to thereby preventsoiling of the work area and eliminate the disposal problem.

I claim:

For use in .a typewriter comprising a housing, friction rolls forpulling a disposable ribbon through the typewriter and means forrotating said friction rolls intermittently during operation of thetypewriter, said means for rotating said friction rolls comprising abevel gear and a drive shaft extending to one of said friction rolls,said bevel gear being positioned adjacent the interior vertical wall ofsaid housing, said housing having an opening through the vertical wallthereof adjacent said bevel gear and a manual operating shaft normallyextending through said opening and operatively connected to said bevelgear, a ribbon take-up attachment for converting said typewritercomprising a bracket,

a conversion shaft,

a bevel gear fixed on one end of said conversion shaft,

means for journalling the other end of said conversion shaft on saidbracket so that said one end of said conversion shaft will projectthrough said opening in the wall of the machine when the bracket ismounted an arbor adapted to receive a spool,

means for rotatably mounting said arbor on said bracket,

and means forming an operative driving connection be- Tween the otherend of said conversion shaft and said arbor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,161, 85 6 6 3 9Cox-head 197-151 2554,0218 5 /5 1 Helmond 197-151 2,656, 190 10/53 Towle85-2 X 2,696,765 12/ 5 4 Appleton 852 X 2,705,113 3/55 Bonann-o 6430 XROBERT E. PU LFREY, Primary Examiner.

